Catalyst
by Mariss95
Summary: She takes a leap, closing the gap between them for the first time.


Hello! Here goes another one-shot, written for a tumblr prompt about their first real kiss.

It doesn't contain spoilers

Enjoy!

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**CATALYST**

A leap. One reckless thought. In hindsight she would try to blame it on the case; after all he had almost been killed.

Her heart stopped when she heard deathshot pulling the trigger. She cried his name, her whole life depending on his answer. Oliver fell backwards; she was at his side in a second. Silence took over the room as she ran her hands over his face, urging him awake. Her eyes darted to his chest, trying to find the entry wound.

The longest ten seconds of her life passed until he coughed in pain, blue eyes fluttering open to meet hers. "I'm okay" he muttered at her worried expression, though she was sure he was anything but. His hand rose to his chest and, unzipping his hood, he plucked the bullet from the vest. It was right over his heart.

She shook terrified as troubled thoughts swarmed her mind: What if they hadn't bought the bullet proof vests she had insisted upon at deathshot's return? What if he hadn't worn it today? Oliver's gloved hand on her face brought her back to reality. _He was alive_, that's all it mattered.

After that it had all been a blur. Diggle had handled his nemesis with Oliver's help, much to Felicity's chagrin. It was unusual for her to be on the field with them, and counting on what transpired that night she wished never to leave the foundry again; the image of Oliver's body collapsing on constant replay in her mind. Diggle stayed behind to oversee deathshot's arrest, surely turning to Layla afterwards. So Oliver led her to his bike and she followed silently, still feeling numb.

Oliver respected her silence, gently lowering her from the bike when they arrived at Verdant. He took her hand and led them downstairs. She seemed to be in a daze, her eyes lost in the distance, a wounded look on her face.

"Hey" he whispered, pressing the hand he held against his chest, "are you alright?"

She looked at him, moisture forming in her eyes and silently shook her head. He caught himself before cracking a joke about her unusual quietness, feeling this wasn't the right time. Instead he stood there holding her close as her eyes ghosted over his face. Then they lowered to his chest and she winced as her fingers gently traced the spot where the bullet had grazed him. Having discarded his arrow suit upon arrival he stood before her as simply Oliver. A single tear ran down her cheek and he soothingly wiped it with his thumb.

"You got shot" she breathed, a sense of déjà vu washing over them both.

"I'm fine" he stated. She thought of calling him on that lie. She knew him well enough to know he wasn't fine at all; deep scars marred both his body and mind. Instead she stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck. His arms came around her instantly, needing the comfort but being too scared to ask for it.

They stood lost in their embrace, neither willing to pull away. There was so much she wanted to say, fearing what could happen to him, to them. Who knew how much time they had left? There were risks in what they did; Tommy's death being the harshest proof of it.

She lowered herself wanting to tell him what she felt in that excruciating moment she thought he was gone. Still when their eyes locked she was rendered speechless. This man who had survived the worst possible scenarios, faced death countless times and stood tall through it all looked at her with a wounded expression on his face; yet she could see that he was worrying about her. This insane, wonderful man stood before her, barriers down, letting her in. There were no words to convey what she felt, how far she would go for him. Yet she felt the need to show him. Before she could stop herself she took a leap and lowered his face, pressing her mouth to his.

The kiss was tender yet firm, a hand at his neck keeping him in place. At that first contact every thought left her normally cluttered mind, the feel of Oliver invading every sense. He stood frozen in place, taken aback. She pulled back slightly, her breath ghosting his lips before closing the distance again, this time brushing her lips against his a few times when she felt him come alive. The hands resting on her back pulled her closer as he kissed her back.

There was a delicacy to his touch, his movements slow and gentle, setting the pace. She sighed against his lips when he deepened the kiss, lost in the moment. They held on until the need for air became too much. She leaned back, resting her forehead against his, listening intently to their labored breathing. She felt heady, scrambled thoughts clouding her mind. She took a moment, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, before daring to meet his eyes.

"Felicity?" he whispered, his voice thick and raspy. The word hung on the air as she tried to come up with an answer but not a clear thought came to mind, still tasting him in her lips. He looked at her perplexed, a wordless conversation passing by. Her face fell in dread when she realized what he meant: _what have you done?_ She shivered at his touch, the one that was so welcoming just seconds before felt icy against her back.

"I'm sorry" she muttered through shaky lips as she backed away. She turned around and walked silently towards the stairs, feeling unstable, as if the floor was shaking beneath her feet. They had an unspoken rule not to cross that delicate line, the one that defined their friendship and kept it from turning awkward. There had been many moments when exploring that other side tempted them both but they had always found a reason not to tarnish what they had; it being mostly fear. Fear of being rejected, of messing up, of getting hurt. So they had walked that line and now she had broken it.

Still as she stumbled to the door there wasn't regret for it had felt even better than she had imagined it, and she had imagined it plenty. Now she felt an unparalleled fear of losing him. Oliver was her best friend and picturing her life without him in it hurt like hell. She was cursing internally at her lack of self control, for diving in head first at the first opening in his carefully built wall, when a hand on her wrist pulled her back.

Oliver stood upon her, determination written on his handsome features. She could barely register what was happening when he cupped her face and his mouth slanted over hers. An involuntary shiver ran through her as his arm sneaked around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Unlike their previous kiss, this one wasn't hesitant or slow, but demanding. His tongue darted out, tracing her lips and she gladly complied, pouring herself into the kiss. Her hand came up to run through his hair, pulling and scraping as he groaned into her mouth. His hands tugged her shirt from her skirt, curious fingers ghosting the newly revealed skin on her back. His searing touch drawn out a moan from her, as her back arched towards him.

He soon pulled away, harsh breaths mingling as they stood inches away. Her eyes met his, fearing he was withdrawing as he usually did when it came to their fragile line. Instead she saw as his lips stretched into a wide smile, one that reached his darkened blue eyes. Her swollen lips rose in a smile of her own as he dipped his head again, closing the gap between them.

As she got lost in him once again, her mind blanked out. The feel of Oliver flush against her triumphing over all. Sometimes it pays off to take a leap in the dark.

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Hope you liked it!

The prompt was: _"First real kiss, and Felicity initiate it. Then she walks away thinking it was a mistake, and Oliver chases her down and shows her it wasn't."_  
I thought it would be better to read the story without knowing the ending.

_Thank you for reading!_ As always, encouragement or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated :)


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